The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-21

as it came upon the heels of the
| information that they would have
to pay their way into the
| grounds. To get 10 the grounds as best
they could meant to walk three miles
through mud as deep and sticky as men
could we'll walk through, for it was utterly
impossible TO get a train, street cars or
vehicles and the boys certainly did not
relish the idea of being invited to Atlanta
to assist Atlanta in entertaining the Presi-
dent of the United States and walking
three miles and back through awful
| streets, and paying JOc. each 10
enter the grounds. Col. Mercer kept
his regiment on Marietta street until
the President and Mrs. Cleveland passed by.
! The distinguished visitors were saluted and
the regiment was then dismissed. The com
panies were marched back to the train
where the dress coats were exchanged for
| the fatigue, and the men then scattered to
spend the day as best they could.
THROUGH MUD AND MIRE.
Most of them walked to the grounds to
see if there really was anything there to be
seen. Some tried to get vehicles of some
sort, but they were not to be had. An old
darkey with mule and a cart was APP
preached, but the only reply, when big
round dollar was shown him, was: En-
gagged, boss, can't take you" One OF the
boys managed to get on street car and he
rolled twenty feet before a wheel broke and
| all the passengers had to get out
He took the next car and paid another dol
| lar for a seat, and before he had gone 100
yards the car ran IF the track, and went so
deep in the mud that there was no chance
to get it back on the rails He gave it up
then and walked By the time the boys
reached the ground their shoes could not be
seen for the red mud that covered them,
but that wasn't marker. On the grounds
they sunk over their shoe tops, and their
pretty trousers were caked with red clay to
the knees. Lieut.. Maccaw lost the stripe of
the left leg of his trousers. He said that the
end of it cnugnt in the mud,
which was so sticky that it pulled the
The grounds had been terraced, and the
newly turned earth readily absorbed the
water that fell, and became so slippery that
walking was dangerous.
PRECARIoUs POSITION.
In terracing the grounds steep slopes were
left, fifteen feet in height and almost per-
pendicular, but in order to get a view of
Mr.. and Mrs. Cleveland little holes were
dug in the side of the hill and in these the
heels were planted This example set by
the First was soon followed by Others, and
soon the whole hillside was covered with
people hanging on by their heels. To stand
there in that way for two hours was tire
some, but that was not the worst of it.
Every now and then some ones heels
would let 60 and down he would
roll, carrying every one in his
pathway with him; then what sight they
were when they struggled to their feet But
still they chung on the best they could and
were rewarded by seeing those whom they
desired to see. Then the sham battle was
watched with interest. The hill on which
the artillery was planted was 50 slippery
that Gen. Young knew his troops could
never climb it to capture the battery, so he
formed the men in line and started them to
firing off their blank cartridges. They
were in the centre of the race track over
their shoe tops in mud and the rain was
pouring down, but still the crowd gathered
around them and grew so dense that Gen.
Young was compelled to order a charge
on the spectators, who were put to a com
plete route.
Meanwhile a section of United States
battery was firing its guns and throwing
shells, and the cavalry were running a
horse race around the track firing their
pistols and carbines to make the horses run,
Altogether it was one of the most brilliant
displays of umbrellas ever seen.
AT THE POINT OF THE BAYoNET.
After the conflict the members of the
First walked three miles back to the city
and made a strenuous effort to get some
thing to eat. They paid 81 80 for dinner at
the grounds, but of course they only ex-
pected to get what they did get-a few
bites of tough meat-for so small a sum, and
by the time they returned to the
city they were ready to pay anything
for a good meal They shoveled the mud
off their shoes, and after a semi-succeSsful
attempt to eat they formed by companies
and marched down to the train. The
crowd at the depot was dense and it was
81. Al 70 oh
German Volunteers, Blues and Cadets went
through with the aid of the police, the de
tachment from the Guards going in under
the sheltering wing of the Cadets. The
Oglethorpes, however, found it, for
time, impossible TO get within
100 yards of the train, but Sergt. Franklin,
who was then in command, commanded
the company to fix bayonets. This was
done, and he then instructed the privates at
the head of the column to make their way
through the crowd If they had to use their
bayonets. The deadly weapons were low
cred, and the company advanced. There
was no disposition at first on
the part of the crowd to give way, but
in obedience to instructions the muskets
were thrust into the legs of three of the
tough citizens, who were very
obstinate, and after that the pathway to
the train was opened without delay. In
due time the train rolled in and the COM
panies got aboard, and as the train started
out the poet of the regiment stood upon the
rear platform, and addressing the assem-
bled thousands, said:
Farewell to thee. Atlanta,
We all bid thee adeu;
We may make a trip to - some day,
But well never come back to you.
And a few minutes later Atlanta disap-
peared from view.
THE GUARDS LOCKED OUT.
The detachment from the Guards came
near riding to Savannah on the platform of
their car The men went to the ticket Office
in the afternoon to secure the same berths
in which they had Travelled the previous
night, and they were told by the agent that
no berths would be assigned, except at the
request of the captains Of companies. They
hunted up Lieut. Rockwell, who was in com
nand and he went with them TO the Pull
man Office and the agent said that tickets
would not be necessary, as t e boys could
get on board the train and get their berths
| from the porter. That was satisfactory
enough and the instructions were followed
| out, but when they mounted the platform
of their car and knocked for admission the
porter replied that he could not let them in
without tickets. He was told of what the
! agent said, but he had received no instruc-
tions to that effect. He said, however, that
he would remain on the platform until the
conductor came, and on the plat